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MU Partnership for Educational Renewal

Welcome to the

MU Partnership for Educational Renewal (MPER)

Through the MU Partnership for Educational Renewal, Missouri schools, the MU Colleges of Education and of Arts and Science, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Regional Professional Development Center aspire to simultaneously renew Pre-K through twelfth grade education and improve teacher preparation by providing information and provoking critical thinking around standards-based education. Twenty-two Missouri school districts (representing over 182,435 students) participate in this partnership to achieve renewal by focusing on four functions: educating children and youth, preparing school professionals, providing ongoing professional development, and conducting inquiry.

Our goal is to provide information and provoke critical thinking around standards-based education, and keep visitors updated on partnership activities. At the heart of the partnership is a desire for the mutual involvement of school and university educators in renewing schools as well as MU educator preparation programs.

The site is designed to assist schools involved in the MU Partnership for Educational Renewal and others in accessing information and communicating with fellow educational practitioners. We would like you to think of this site as not only a clearinghouse of resources but also a forum for exchanging ideas on improving preK-16 education.

Governance & Membership

MPER Governance

The MU Partnership for Educational Renewal is governed by a board composed of the superintendents from each member school district, the Dean of the College of Education, the Dean of the College of Arts and Science and the Missouri Commissioner of Education. Each of the above-mentioned individuals serves as a voting member of this Governing Board with each entitled to one vote. In addition, the Governing Board will include such ex officio, non-voting members as may be considered necessary.

The Executive Officer of each participating organization may appoint a permanent designee to serve in his/her capacity should the Executive Officer be unable to attend a Governing Board function. These serve with the full authority of the Executive Officer for the particular Governing Board function.

In July 1997, the governing board amended the MPER charter to establish an Executive Committee of the Governing Board. The immediate past chair, dean of the College of Education, chair, vice chair and executive director are members of the Executive Committee. The purpose of the Executive Committee is to provide an advisory group to facilitate day-to-day operations of the Board.

Are schools designated by their superintendents as being settings in which public school educators and University educators work together to achieve a common goal of simultaneously renewing the school and the preparation of educators. MPER aims to achieve this renewal by developing a collaborative agenda based on four functions: educating children and youth, preparing school professionals, providing ongoing professional development, and conducting inquiry. Such renewal embraces both ongoing improvement of practice and the preparation of new generations of school professionals. The schools intending to became one of the MPER partners need to follow the MPER Guidelines for Creating Partner Schools.

MPER has 22 partner School Districts grouped in three Tiers according to their size. Included in Tier II are community colleges.

Nine Tier I School Districts with student populations between 7,000 and 44,000;

Seven Tier II School Districts with student populations between 1,651 and 6,999;

FourTier III School Districts with student populations between 601 and 1,650; and

Two Tier IV School Districts with student populations between 1 and 600 (effective 2015-2016)

Teaching Fellowship is an induction program offered by the College of Education and the MU Partnership for Educational Renewal (MPER) set to create an outstanding instruction and support system for first year teachers.

Provides teachers in Partner Districts/Schools with the assurance that when they are out of the classroom working on professional development activities, their students will be working with someone who can provide quality educational experiences. ... more.

Study Group Funding

In order to achieve its mission, MPER’s Operations Council is providing opportunities that are accessible and available for all partner-schools faculty members. This funding will support study groups in schools in partner districts that connect to the MPER roles and functions as well as relate to the partner School Improvement Plan and Professional Development Plan. ...more information and News on Study Group Funding

Mental Health Leadership Academy

This new MPER program is one means of accomplishing our goal of renewal and is a joint project with the College of Education's "Center for Advancement of Mental Health Practices in Schools". Two sessions are held each year with topics focusing on both student and faculty mental health issues. One of the overall goals of the academy is to provide tools for school leaders to be more effective in addressing mental health issues impacting student achievement and faculty health. MPER Partner Districts determine the best representatives to send to the sessions depending on the issue(s) being studied. ... more

Senior Year On-Site Program (elementary)

The Senior Year On-Site Program (SYOSP) is under the auspices of the Educator Preparation Program. Beginning in the fall, all MU elementary education majors participate in a full year on-site experience during their senior year in Partner Schools. Each semester consists of a sixteen-week experience. (Students may remain on-site longer than the sixteen-week minimum.) The start date for each semester will be based on the elementary school’s calendar. (If students have other obligations or commitments, the start date for the second semester may be negotiable.) More information is available in the Elementary Education Program.

Field Experiences

The office of Field Experience is under the auspices of Teacher Education and Office of Educator Preparation. The Teacher Education Program allows preservice teachers to observe first-hand teaching techniques and strategies and apply learning and instructional theories in classroom environments. Field experiences can take many forms including observational visits to Partner Schools, tutorials with individual children and young people, work with before- or after-school programs, assistance to small groups, and teaching lessons to small and large groups.